Improvement in securing buttons to garments



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WV. ROBERTS, OF NEW MONMOUTH, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN SECURING BUTTONS TO GARMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 56,612, dated July 24, 1866.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. ROBERTS, of New Monmouth, in the county of Monmouth and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Means for Securing Buttons to Garments and to Fabrics generally; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a side view of my improvement as used for securing metal buttons to garments; Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, detached views of the same parts used when the button is applied as shown in Fig. l; Fig. 6, a side sectional view of the means used in applying perforated buttons to garments Figs. 7 and 8, detached views of two of the parts used when the button is applied as shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 9, a view of a pair of pliers which may be used.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention has for its object the securing of buttons to garments and to fabrics generally in such a manner that they may be applied and detached in a moment of time, and without any difficulty whatever, no sewing being required, and the liability of losing a button by giving away of the thread avoided, and the advantage of detaching buttons from garments previous to the washin g of the same and the ready appliance of the buttons after the garments are washed obtained.

I will first proceed to describe my mode of securing metal buttons to garments.

A, Fig. l, represents a metal button, theinner side of which is provided with an oblong slot, d, as shown in Fig. 5, the button, of course, being a shell, and the inner side of the button a thin plate.

B represents a staple constructed of wire, and having its ends barbed or formed with shoulders or hooks b, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, and C, Fig. 4, is a circular metal plate perforated with two holes to admit of the barbed ends b of the hooks passing through it. D is a washer, of india-rubber or other suitable material, also having two holes made in it for the staple to pass through.

In securing the button to the garment A the staple B is passed through the garment from the inner side of the cloth or fabric. The elastic washer D is then fitted on the staple at the outer side of the cloth or fabric, the plate C then fitted on the staple in contact with the outer end of the washer, and the barbed ends of the staples then pressed toward each other or sprung into the slot a in the inner side of the button, the barbed ends catching over the ends of the slots at the inner surface of the plate within and retained thereby the elasticity of the staple, the staple being bent or so formed as to have such a degree of elasticity.

The elastic washer D prevents any play of the button on the staple, keeping' the barbed ends bin contact with the inner surface of the plate which forms the rear side of the button.

In order to detach the button the sides or prongs of the staples B are pressed toward each other so that the barbed ends of the staple will clear the ends of the slot a, and the button may then be drawn off from the staple. To facilitate this operation a pair of pliers with thin or Hat jaws may be used, as shown in red in Fig. 9, the jaws being inserted between the plate C and the inner side of the button, the washer D yielding to ad mit of that result. Two pieces of metal plate or thin plates of any hard substance may be used for the purpose and the same end attained. The pliers are not a necessity. Perforated buttons E (see Figs. 6 and 7) are se cured to the garment or fabric in a similar manner. The staple F, in this instance, is passed through the two holes in the button from the outer side of the garment, the barbed ends c c passing through an oblong slot, d, in a plate, G, at the inner side of the garment or fabric, said plate bein g provided with a tongue, e, which, when the barbed ends are through the slot d, is bent over between the ends c c, to keep the shoulders of the barbs over the ends of slot d. By this arrangement all that is required in order to detach the button from the garment is simply to pull the tongue e out from between the barbed ends and press the barbed ends toward each other so that their shoulders may clear the ends of slot d, and the staple may be drawn ont from the garment or fabric.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The spring-staple B, with barbed ends b b, in combination with the slotted button-back or the washer E, operating substantially as described.

2. In combination 'with the barbed staple, anelastic washer, D, applied substantially in the manner as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN W. ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MGNAMARA, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

